“Costa Rica is definitely one of our hottest destinations right now,” says Alisa Cohen, founder of the boutique travel agency Luxe Traveler Club. “It’s easy to get to, there’s amazing hotels, there’s tons for every age — especially if you have kids — to do.”
With all of Costa Rica’s potential, where should you go? Most travel experts who book trips to Costa Rica agree: Don’t spend your time in one place. “We always say split it,” says Nicki Wheeler, a British expat who has lived in Costa Rica since 2004 and owns the travel company Sendero Adventures.
Wheeler recommends visitors get away from chain hotels and mainstream sites. With so much nature to explore, she says, they should “be adventurous. Do things maybe that you wouldn’t do at home.”
For a wellness retreat: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Although many different areas in Costa Rica cater to travelers who want a vacation focused on their health and well-being, Jorge Varela, a private guide for ToursByLocals, recommends renting a house in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in southeast Costa Rica. There you’ll find beautiful rainforest, access to the Caribbean Sea, yoga, mindfulness and meditation workshops, and restaurants serving organic food.
“Something that I like about this area is they don’t have chain or big hotels,” he says. “They have boutique hotels and bungalows in the middle of the forest.”
Alternatively, Pabrö Sánchez, a travel guide and chef who takes clients on tailor-made trips for his company Sapoa Adventures, says the Valle del General has a lot of “glamping” and also boasts boutique hotels that focus on wellness. Wheeler is a fan of retreats in Golfo Dulce, a tropical fjord in the Osa Peninsula, her favorite area in Costa Rica. “This is still very rustic, still very local,” she says of the area. As you look for a wellness retreat, or any accommodation, tour and activity in Costa Rica, opt for Costa Rican-owned businesses to best support the local community.
“If you go to the international chains, the main percentage of the profit goes out of the country,” Sánchez says.
For beaches: Take your pick of Caribbean or Pacific
With nearly 800 miles of coastline, Costa Rica boasts many distinct beaches.
The Pacific side tends to get more attention thanks to its world-class surf spots, but the Caribbean coast dazzles, too. “That’s where you’ll find the most beautiful coastline in Costa Rica,” Varela says of the country’s southern Caribbean region, listing off “champagne-colored sand, turquoise waters, coral reefs good for snorkeling, colorful schools of fish.”
Wheeler says Pacific beaches, “especially in the Guanacaste area” to the north, “are just so beautiful, … probably some of the best in the world.”
“There’s everything from little touristy towns to completely deserted beaches,” she adds.
On the Pacific coast, Varela recommends staying around Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio or Playa Flamingo, known for its pinkish sand and good hotels.
If you do pick the Caribbean side, Varela says to go between August and November to catch the best weather, even if that means it’s the rainy season elsewhere.
“You have sunny mornings and afternoon rain,” he says. “As long as there’s not a storm, you can be in the hot springs while it’s raining; the contrast feels amazing.”
For the food: San José
Although Costa Rica isn’t famous for its gastronomy, Wheeler says that recent changes to the food scene include new takes on local ingredients and traditions. “It’s absolutely amazing, especially in San José,” she says.
Varela says Barrio Escalante is the best neighborhood for food lovers, where “there are literally seven to 10 blocks with restaurants, pubs, specialty coffee shops.” He says there are also spots for “more refined” cooking as well as sodas, the name for small, local restaurants, where you can find “more traditional tapas we call bocas.”
Even if you want to spend time eating your way through San José, Sánchez recommends staying outside of the city proper. Areas in the nearby highlands, such as Alajuela and Heredia, have fewer crowds and better views.
Sánchez says clients have had life-changing experiences going with him to native Indigenous communities to harvest ingredients together — sometimes even butchering an animal they’ll eat — and cooking in their homes.
“It’s magical,” Sánchez says. “People cry.”
For zip lines and volcano hikes: Corcovado National Park
Costa Rica is synonymous with adventure tourism. “That’s what we’re good at,” Wheeler says, noting the country’s famous surf, national parks, zip-lining and volcano trekking. Plus, “we have the Pacuare River, which is one of the top 10 rivers in the world for white-water rafting,” she says.
At Corcovado National Park, “they do two- or three-night trips where you go live with the park rangers,” she says. “ … It’s very, very remote, and it’s definitely one of the places that hosts most of the wildlife species of Costa Rica.”
Surfers will want to hit the Pacific coast. For beginners, Sánchez suggests the towns of Nosara, Malpaís or Santa Teresa. The latter is “extremely good” for different types of breaks, he says.
For families: La Fortuna
Varela and Wheeler say families will find activities for all ages in La Fortuna. “It’s an activity hub,” Wheeler says, listing options such as touring chocolate farms, visiting hot springs and going to Arenal Volcano National Park.
For a beach, Varela sends families to Playa Hermosa, because it’s easily accessible from the Liberia Guanacaste Airport (LIR); has calm, swimmable water; and is good for snorkeling. Varela says families can also take boat rides from Playa Hermosa to secluded beaches and islands.
Sánchez, who has a 5-year-old daughter, says travelers will find much of Costa Rica to be family-friendly (except for the south Caribbean, where the hiking may be too intense). If he had to narrow it down, Sánchez would send families to the North Pacific region for horseback riding, hiking and tree-climbing.
For wildlife: Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
To see wild animals, head to the misty forest of Monteverde, home to hundreds of species of birds, monkeys, bats, reptiles and amphibians, porcupines and sloths.
“The hikes in Monteverde Cloud Forest are amazing,” Wheeler says. “Especially if you go early in the morning.”
Sánchez says travelers should be wary of places that are advertised as animal sanctuaries but are really just zoos built for tourists to take photos with animals. The government has a #StopAnimalSelfies campaign encouraging travelers to avoid animals that have been captured for photo ops.
Wheeler says a way to tell the difference between a true sanctuary and a sham is that a genuine place will have a rehabilitation program and records of its releases.
“Any certified tour guide here will be completely opposed to any kind of activity involving animal selfies,” Wheeler says. “We have so much wildlife in our tiny country that you will be able to take photos as long as they are not interrupting their natural processes.”
For something off the beaten path: The Osa Peninsula
Costa Rica has plenty of hidden gems, but they’re not simple to reach. For example, there’s the Osa Peninsula at the southernmost tip of the country near the Panama border.
Varela suggests splurging on an eco-lodge, such as La Paloma on the peninsula’s Drake Bay, where the nature is pristine. “It’s remote and harder to get to … and a little bit more expensive than more touristy areas,” he says. That’s on purpose: Those extra barriers for entry help prevent overtourism.
For a unique experience, Sánchez says, you’ll have to hire a local guide. “We have four or five places that we do not promote the names of for people to come on their own,” he says. “We’ve tried to keep it kind of hidden. A lot of people really appreciate not seeing other tourists around.”
